Jaxon Smith-Njigba just scratching surface as major Buckeyes weapon
COLUMBUS — Jaxon Smith-Njigba is done surprising Ohio State.
The folks inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center have seen Smith-Njigba burn Buckeyes defensive backs and make show-stopping catches in practice the last two seasons.
Now he’s doing it in games.
Smith-Njigba, a former five-star prospect and now one of the top three wide receivers in the loaded Buckeyes room, exploded on Saturday against Oregon: Seven catches, 145 yards, two touchdown grabs to keep the Buckeyes within striking distance of the Ducks.
Even in the loss, Smith-Njigba proved the damage he can do in the slot of the Ohio State offense. He showed his explosive play-making ability. And he seems to just be getting started as the Buckeyes find their offensive stride.
“We all know what Jaxon’s capable of,” fellow wide receiver Garrett Wilson said. “And to see him do that, I mean, that’s who Jaxon is. You’re gonna see that 100 more times. That was just the beginning for Jaxon.
“Coming back from Week One, he played good. It’s just he didn’t get the targets that he would’ve liked against Minnesota. And then to come back with a big game against Oregon, that was big for his confidence, for sure.”
Sure, a huge individual game will be good for Smith-Njigba. But immediately following the loss to Oregon, he wasn’t prepared to celebrate his breakout performance in a losing effort.
“It’s hard to celebrate my individual accolades for a tough loss like this,” Smith-Njigba said after the game. “It feels good, but you know, I want to win. I’m ready for next week and for the rest of the season.”
The remainder of the season could be when Smith-Njigba truly makes a name for himself on the national stage. Wilson and All-American candidate Chris Olave garner nearly all the attention from opposing secondaries this fall.
Smith-Njigba was good enough throughout the offseason to make the Buckeyes coaches feel comfortable moving Wilson to the outside — just a year after he dominated in the slot — with Olave. Both of the Buckeyes outside weapons make it nearly impossible to defend Smith-Njigba.
And he’s a player worthy of attention.
“You can see what his potential is,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “And I think he’s very, very good in the slot. He can change directions, he can wiggle free against the underneath coverage players really well and has big-play potential. And made some really big catches for us, had some really good routes.
“So again, he’s he’s got a chance to be really good for us.”
The first breakout game of his career came in a loss. Don’t expect many more of those, especially as Smith-Njigba, Wilson and Olave all top 100 yards receiving in future games.
And don’t expect Smith-Njigba to be an under-the-radar weapon in the Ohio State offense much longer. He has entrenched himself as a top threat in the potent passing attack.
“It’s been a long-time coming for Jaxon,” Wilson said. “He had his flashes last year. One of the craziest catches I’ve seen, body control wise. And how many yards did he have? 100? 140?
“He balled out.”
He was already done catching Ohio State off-guard. With a couple more impressive games like he had last week, Jaxon Smith-Njigba won’t catch anyone by surprise.
